Attorney asks Granholm not to proceed on petition to remove Detroit mayor from office

DETROIT — Kwame Kilpatrick's general counsel is asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm not to proceed on a petition to remove the Detroit mayor until his criminal case is resolved.

Sharon McPhail also compared the Detroit City Council's efforts to force Kilpatrick from office as politically motivated and akin to the 1953 executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

The Rosenbergs were convicted in 1951 of passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.

McPhail also says the council needed a 6-3 vote to ask the governor to remove Kilpatrick for misconduct. The vote was 5-4.

The council is expected to begin forfeiture of office proceedings next month against Kilpatrick who faces a Sept. 22 preliminary examination on perjury and other charges stemming from testimony he gave during a whistle-blowers' trial.